It is finally Spring. Signs of new life are peeking out all over our pretty earth, including crops of new summer associates and/or interns coming in for the summer. I was recently reflecting on current and past intern harvests. I wanted to know what made some interns memorable and others not as much. Certainly good work ethic, humility, humor, and charm all played into the total package, but even before all of that, there had to be something that made me want to choose that particular intern over others for an assignment.
The answer came quickly to me: Successful interns (i.e., interns who received preference for substantive work assignments) didn’t make me do the work to figure out what they wanted to do. Allow me to provide context. My company’s intern program is focused on providing law students with a unique, practical experience. The intern program is not a pipeline to employment in the legal department. Unlike law firms that are now, for the most part, back to hiring most of their summer associates, our intern program offers only one thing: experience. That experience, however, can be spectacular. Or, it can be tedious. That all depends on the intern.
When I have my initial conversations with interns, I ask them what they want to do. At a surprising frequency, these bright, young things will tell me: “I’m keeping my options open,” or “I’m playing the field.” I’ve not yet had the heart to inform these children what their answers tell me: they evidently have no options, nor do they even understand the field upon which they want to play. Close, but less obnoxious, corollaries to those kinds of responses is: “I’ll do anything,” or “I’m open to everything.”
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It took me time to figure out why those answers put me off. Their offense is subtle. After all, these are intelligent young women and men. Why would I dismiss individuals who rightly want to keep every door open to them, or who simply may not have decided yet what they want to be when they grow up?
Why, indeed? Because I want the people on my team to care. I don’t want them to care just about their résumé, or just about looking good in front of executives. I want them to care about what they are learning by working on my project. I want them to understand that even if they are doing grunt work, they are learning something. I want them to appreciate that if I give them an assignment that isn’t strictly “legal” in nature, but puts them in front of someone who can help them further their interests, they will do their best on that “non-legal” assignment. Naturally, if I asked any intern if he or she would do these things, that person would tell me: “Yes, absolutely.” But I don’t believe what people tell me. I believe what they show me. People show you they care by being interested. Interest is the first step in being invested in something.
If I could give potential interns the secret sauce — the edge to receiving spectacular work — either from me or for any other opportunity, I would tell them to show they are interested in something. Be specific about your direction. That specificity can always be couched in: “I’m open to everything, but I’m excited about the opportunity to learn more about XXX.”
The economy is still tough out there for young lawyers. For the most part, people want to help. I know I do. My goal for every intern I work with is to give that person projects and opportunities that will impress future employers. I want all the interns I work with to succeed.
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What I can’t do is figure out how they will succeed. I do not have the time (or interest) in learning what makes any particular individual tick or what childhood traumas led them to their passion for internal audit. They have to tell me. If I know they have a flicker of interest in something, I will do what I can to make connections for them so they can learn more about that specific interest. I can’t matchmake our interns with everyone in the company, though. The individuals who make it easier for me to help them get the most help. They care enough about their career to be interested in something and are brave enough to say so.
When you know what you want, you are not limiting your opportunities by proclaiming your interest. Rather, you will open doors that lead directly to your goals. It is a rare person who can give you the world. Many people can give you a specific thing. If you know what you want, you can ask for something that others can give.
Celeste Harrison Forst has practiced in small and mid-sized firms and is now in-house at a large manufacturing and technology company where she receives daily hugs from her colleagues. You can reach Celeste directly at [email protected].